How to Pack Milk in a Lunch Box

Schools are now encouraging parents to send in healthier lunches. They even provide parents with copies of the food pyramid so that they know how many servings children need from each group. One of those groups is dairy. Parents can make sure their children are getting their recommended dairy servings by sending in milk servings. This is a little trickier than sending in a juice box because milk can go bad when it gets warm. Properly packing your lunch box can prevent this from happening.

Things You'll Need

• Small milks
• Thermos
• Ice pack
• Lunch box

Instructions

1. Place an ice pack in your child's lunch box. Place your milk on top of it. This will keep the milk cold and fresh for your child.

2. Add your child's sandwich and snacks last. Zip up the lunchbox immediately upon packing its contents. Keep it in the refrigerator until your child is on his way to school.

3. Pack a small carton of milk next to the sandwich, but put it on the bottom. Snacks and desserts should go on top of the milk. Otherwise, the milk will crush them.

4. Give the lunchbox to your child as she is walking out to the bus. If the lunch box is a paper bag, fold the top down twice. This makes the milk less likely to fall out.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have an ice pack, you can make one. Just add three to five ice cubes to a sandwich bag that zippers shut.